1950s Leadership

Have you been enjoying my leadership walk through the decades of the 20th century? We started in the 1920s and have compare leadership styles to the roaring 20s, the depression and dustbowl of the 30s and World War II of the 40s. Today we are going to look at the 50s.

The 1950s, the decade after World War II. The decade that saw the rise of communism and the cold war. The 1950s also saw the rise of rock and roll and the television. It also had its threats as America feared the threat of nuclear proliferation and a space race between Russia and America.

What do the fifties tell us about leadership? Some words come to mind when I think of the fifties, lasting innovation, competition and reactionary. The events that occurred in the 1950s were not all positive. The Korean war happened and the threats of communism and nuclear weapons also were evident. I want to focus on the positive aspects because I believe the negatives helped to make the positives stronger.

If you are a 1950s leader you thrive on competition, you want to be the first to reach those places that your company has never gone. You are also a leader who is on the cutting edge of innovation and that innovation will last and be improved upon throughout the years. You are also a leader who reacts to things in almost a quick or sudden fashion. You don't want to be left behind and you don't want your competitors to gain the upper hand.

Are you a 1950s leader? Do you have that cutting edge innovation like Steve Jobs. Look at how the television has improved since its inception in the early 50s? If you believe you are a fifties leader then grab a hold of your innovations and then lead the way into the next decade with some great ideas.

Thanks again to Wikipedia for the information and the picture.